


Just another morning

by silentflux



Series: A Day in the Life [3]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Community: 60damnprompts, Community: gilesxander, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-07
Updated: 2008-10-07
Packaged: 2017-10-16 01:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/166814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentflux/pseuds/silentflux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Demons, pets and baby slayers, oh my!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just another morning

_**FIC: Just another morning, FRT, BTVS, Giles, Xander**_  
 **Title:** Just another morning  
 **Author:** Andrea/[](http://silentflux.livejournal.com/profile)[ **silentflux**](http://silentflux.livejournal.com/)  
 **Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
 **Pairing/character:** Giles, Xander - preslash  
 **Rating:** FRT  
 **Prompt:** Day 3 - "Baby" and loosely on the day's quote "You may walk away from love, but you'll fall head and heels again"  
 **Notes/Warnings:** for October 7th at the[](http://community.livejournal.com/gilesxander/profile)[ **gilesxander**](http://community.livejournal.com/gilesxander/) Octoberfest and [my Giles challenge](http://silentflux.livejournal.com/tag/challenge:+60damnprompts) at [](http://community.livejournal.com/60damnprompts/profile)[**60damnprompts**](http://community.livejournal.com/60damnprompts/) where you write 60 days in the life of a character. Here's [Day 1](http://silentflux.livejournal.com/85759.html) and [Day 2](http://silentflux.livejournal.com/111570.html). You may want to read them before this fic for a better understanding, but it's not necessary. Thanks to [](http://freetodream5.livejournal.com/profile)[**freetodream5**](http://freetodream5.livejournal.com/) for the quick beta :)

Set post Chosen, so there are spoilers for it.

 **Summary:** Demons, pets and baby slayers, oh my!

~ * ~

Even after the better part of a decade spent as an active Watcher, Giles still didn't understand how events just pop up at the most inopportune times. The morning had started off well - he was rested and the drive into the city had not been intolerable, but when he'd arrived at the complex everything was too quiet and that never boded well. He'd barely set his briefcase down before he was high jacked by Andrew and several severe looking Watchers and Slayers. He hadn't even had a chance to find second cup of caffeine in the mornings. The combined incomprehensible chatter continued but several words like "pet" and "baby demon" stood out.

"Andrew!" Giles' voice whipped out sharply, cutting through the noise. It was truly a shame that he was too annoyed to be properly amused by how quickly everyone's jaws snapped shut with an audible crack. "Now. Tell me - what is the emergency?"

"Ummmm...." The Head of the Watchers and Slayers Council rolled his eyes as he watched every single person present fidget without answering.  
"Andrew..." He put all his mounting frustration into his assistant's name, eyebrow rising in expectation.

"Well, you see, apparently JJ snuck out and trailed after C Team's patrol last night," Andrew finally muttered before launching into full-on Sunnydale babble. "And-she-sorta-brought-back-a baby-Changeling-demon-to-keep-as-a-pet."  
Giles stared hard at the blonde before turning to the Watchers, all of them having been on duty the previous night. Flexing his fingers in an effort to not clean his glasses, he bit out, "And how did she get off school grounds with all the safeguards in place?"

His anger twisted and he pressed it down, working to keep his face bland even as he felt his eyes grow hard at the thought of their youngest slayer escaping all the wards that kept her safe. The city wasn't a hellmouth, but there was quite a large demon community which made it no place for an unguarded child - especially one with slayer's blood pumping through her veins and no combat training for her supernatural strength. Movements carefully controlled, he walked around to settle at his desk, trying to find the calm he'd had before he'd arrived.

"The wards were never activated last night," came the sheepish answer from Tyler, the Watcher responsible. Giles slammed his desk drawer shut, making everyone else jump as he stood and leaned on his hands, staring hard at Tyler who gulped and glanced down.

"Has someone at least taken care of the Changeling?" When no one would meet his eyes, Giles swore under his breath and pushed himself upright. "Go make sure those wards are set and in place and _stay_ that way or need I interrupt Willow?"

Watchers and Slayers alike blanched at those words and quickly scurried off to do as commanded while he headed toward the slayer dormitories where he knew a certain ten-year-old was most likely held up with her new 'pet'.

Soft laughter greeted him as he entered the building, and Giles followed it until he saw two dark heads put together on the couch in JJ's room. His own lips twitched as Xander's laughter infected him, immediately relaxing when the younger man looked up from the slayer in his lap and aimed a blinding smile at his former mentor.

"Xander, JJ," he greeted quietly, secretly pleased at both of their welcoming expressions. "What are you two up to?"

"Mr Giles!" JJ chimed in, squirming off her perch to run over and grab the elder Watcher's hand, pulling him along. "Look what I found last night!" She pointed to a pallet where Giles saw the Changeling baby, unmistakable in all its blue glory.

"Very interesting," he conceded, smiling slightly when her enthusiasm wavered at his tone. "JJ, why did you go out last night?" Giles reached in and tickled under the baby's chin, feeling the weight of its black gaze and winced inwardly at the gurgled whoops that he supposed was a giggle of some kind.

JJ shrugged, no remorse apparent, face shining with radiant innocence. Children, Giles had decided, were cute so that their caretakers wouldn't be tempted to strangle them when their actions endangered others. Of course Buffy had been so different - why should he expect a ten-year-old to do any better?

"Do you know what this is?" When she shrugged again, Giles looked helplessly over at Xander who lowered himself to the floor in front of her.  
"JJ, even though you want to go with the patrols, you know the rules," Xander stated firmly. "About patrolling and about bringing a demon back into headquarters."

Giles sighed softly at the stricken and indignant expression. "We don't want you to get hurt, JJ, and that is why the rules are there -- to protect all of us. Do you understand?" She nodded silently, lip thrust out in a pout. "You know the punishment, workouts with Kennedy and no extracurricular activities for a month." He saw Xander wince, thankful that the younger man's face was stern when JJ turned with watering eyes for sympathy from her friend. Sullen and resigned, she ran from the room and both Watchers flinched at the sound of a slamming door and splintering wood.

  
"That was as much fun as I've ever had," Xander commented dryly and Giles silently agreed -- he hated disciplining JJ. The girl didn't have a mean bone in her body and often anything she did wrong was in a natural sense of mischievousness and curiosity.

Sighing, Giles lowered himself onto the couch next to his colleague and tried to sort through the thoughts and prioritize. "Well, I guess we should return it."

"Return it?" yelped Xander, head whipping around and eye bright with disbelief.

"Yes, well, the Changeling species of demons are more or less neutral and I see no reason why we should kill one of their young. Did JJ tell you where she found it?"

"Yeah..." Xander's face became suspicious and Giles lips twitched as realization flashed. "No! Absolutely not! Do you remember who you're talking to? Xander the demon magnet?! I'll probably go and get eaten or dragged off to be used as a sex slave or something horrible. Why can't you send Andrew?"

Giles tried to give his most reproving look, but knew he couldn't pull it off when he found himself trying to stop chuckling at the younger man's pout. "Because I'm trusting you," he stated firmly and reaching over to clasp Xander's shoulder, ignoring the warmth that seemed to tease along his arm at that touch.

"Fine," grumbled the former carpenter, flashing an annoyed look even as his shoulders straightened. "But if I get eaten, I'm totally coming back to haunt your ass for the rest of your tweed-filled life, G-man."

Rolling his eyes, Giles' lips twitched. "I'm counting on it." Watching closely, the Head Watcher saw that he was right when the baby demon fairly clung to the younger man as it was gathered up with promises of going home. Demon magnet indeed.

It was only after Xander had left that Giles realized that his phone was ringing. When he looked at the display on the irritatingly tiny phone, he paused in recognition before answering. "Hello, mother."


End file.
